Tracking system with mobile reader

ABSTRACT

A tracking system uses a mobile reader or scanner that scans, for example through a barcode reader, a passive tag reader, a probe, input, camera, or an active RF tag communication reader, and records item (asset or inventory) data. After being recorded, this item data and other relevant data is sent by radio transmission to a receiver network in the tracking system. The receiver network has at least two receivers (or at least two receiver antennae). The scanner location data, calculated by comparing the signal information at each receiver antenna receiving the radio transmission, is then used to register and record the location data of the scanned item.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/568,468, filed Dec. 12, 2014, titled “Tracking System with MobileReader”, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. provisionalapplication No. 61/915,647, filed Dec. 13, 2013, titled “Tracking Systemwith Mobile Scanner,” the entireties of which are incorporated byreference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to systems and methods for determiningthe position of an electromagnetic signal transmitting device, inparticular, the position of a mobile reader with such a transmitter.

BACKGROUND

Commercial organizations are becoming increasingly complex, and industryis seeking techniques for tracking the location and use of inventory andassets with increasing specificity. Accordingly, many industries aredeploying asset tracking systems that include electronically readableidentification tags. Conventionally, assets are bar-coded and manuallyscanned. Other techniques involve placing passive radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tags placed on the front of assets, which can beread RFID readers.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods described herein using a combination of a handheld(or mobile) ID reader (or scanner) and a master radio-based scannerlocation tracking system to track uniquely identified objects orlocations. The mobile reader reads identifying information from theassets and inventory, while the tracking system determines and tracksthe physical location of the mobile reader. As the mobile reader recordsthe identifying information, or related data, from items placed on orembedded in the item being scanned by the mobile reader (barcode labelsfor example), the data is then transmitted back to the tracking system,along with the relevant mobile reader information transmitted from themobile reader to be used by the tracking system to determine scannerlocation.

The principles apply to any item, object, or article (e.g., game pieces,clothing, automobiles, etc.) that contains a unique identifier readablewith a mobile reader and in any environment where receiver antennae areavailable to receive the RF signals emitted by the mobile reader.Further, data at unique locations may be recorded, with the recordeddata becoming associated with the location where the reader determined,measured, or calculated the data.

All examples and features mentioned below can be combined in anytechnically possible way.

In one aspect, a tracking system comprises a mobile device that recordsitem data from a data source identified with an item and wirelesslytransmits this item data in a radio frequency (RF) signal. A radioreceiver network includes at least two receiver antennae that receivethe RF signal transmitted by the mobile device. A comparator circuit isconfigured to determine a timing difference between the RF signalreceived by one of the at least two receiver antennae and the RF signalreceived by another of the at least two receiver antennae. A centralprocessing unit is in communication with the comparator circuit toacquire the timing difference and to calculate therefrom a physicallocation of the item. The central processing unit further identifies theitem based on the item data transmitted from the mobile device andassociating the identified item with the determined physical location ofthe item.

In another aspect, a tracking system comprises a mobile device thatrecords item data from a data source identified with an item andwirelessly transmits this item data in a radio frequency (RF) signal. Aradio receiver network includes at least two receiver antennae thatreceive the RF signal transmitted by the mobile device. A comparatorcircuit is configured to determine a timing difference between the RFsignal received by one of the at least two receiver antennae and the RFsignal received by another of the at least two receiver antennae. Acentral processing unit is in communication with the comparator circuitto acquire the timing difference and to calculate therefrom a physicallocation of the item. The central processing unit further identifies theitem based on the item data transmitted from the mobile device andassociates the identified item with the determined physical location ofthe item.

In yet another aspect, a system for tracking mobile RF transmitterscomprises at least one mobile radio transmitter that transmits datacaptured at a physical location in an RF signal, at least two radioreceiver networks, and at least two central processing units. Each radioreceiver network includes at least two receiver antennae and a dataprocessing unit. Each central processing unit is in communication withthe data processing unit of one of the radio receiver networks toreceive the time difference calculated by that data processing unit andcompute therefrom a distance of the at least one RF transmitter from theat least two receiver antennae of that one radio receiver networks,thereby determining a position of the at least one RF transmitter to beassociated with the captured data. A master processor is incommunication with the at least two central processing units tocoordinate tracking of the at least one RF transmitter as the at leastone RF transmitter moves through an area of coverage by the at least tworadio receiver networks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and further advantages of this invention may be betterunderstood by referring to the following description in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate likestructural elements and features in various figures. The drawings arenot necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed uponillustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an overview of an example of mobile reader operation.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a mobile radio scanner orreader.

FIG. 3 shows an overview of the scanner tracking system operation.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an example of a two-way communicationsystem of the mobile reader tracking system.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the mobile reader tracking system configuredinto multiple cells to expand coverage area.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a tracking system 2 including a mobilereader 10, a central processing unit (CPU) 12, and a plurality of RFreceivers 14-1, 14-2, 14-3, and 14-4 (generally, receiver 14).

In one embodiment, the mobile reader 10 is a handheld device used toread identifier information (e.g., a barcode) and other related datafrom assets or inventory using a basic scanning technique. The mobilereader 10 may be a device dedicated to reading the identifier, anexample of which is a handheld barcode scanner, or be a device withmultiple functions, such as a handheld computer, smart phone, oraugmented reality glasses. The method used by the mobile reader 10 toread identifier information can be any one of a number of differentoptical or wireless data reading technologies including, but not limitedto, passive transponder tags, optical tags, and active transceivers.

In another embodiment, the mobile reader 10 is a device capable ofcapturing information associated with a physical location. For example,the mobile reader 10 can have a sensor for detecting a condition of theenvironment where the mobile reader is located, examples of such sensorsinclude, but are not limited to, temperature, humidity, chemical, gas,or other sensors. While the mobile reader may be handheld, it may bemounted on an attachment to the body (i.e., a glove type device) or aspart of glasses (such as the antenna and scanner being integrated intoaugmented reality glasses). In any configuration, the antenna, scanner,battery and processing circuitry may be co-located or physicallyseparated (i.e., the scanner and antenna are mounted on augmentedreality glasses while the battery and processor are mounted on theuser's body, for example, on a belt). The mobile reader 10 may be alsoreferred to herein as a mobile device or mobile scanner.

The mobile reader 10 includes a transmitter (not shown) that transmitsan electromagnetic signal (microwave, radio frequency) from an antenna16. In one embodiment, the RF signal conforms to an 802.11 wirelessLocal Area Network (LAN) type protocol. In addition, the principlesdescribed herein extend to other RF protocols including, but not limitedto, Bluetooth and ZigBee. System tradeoffs mean that frequency choiceaffects antenna size and that very high frequency systems result insignal propagation limitations. Provided the phase of the signal can becalculated or the time of arrival can be measured by either phasecomparison at the mobile reader or single receiver antenna or through asynchronized two-way communication between the mobile reader and thereceiver antenna, various protocols and signal wavelengths may beutilized including but not limited to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ultra wideband,and other frequency RF carrier signals. FSK, BPSK, QPSK or any othermodulation scheme that provides phase information may be utilized.

In one embodiment, each of the receivers 14 includes at least oneantenna 18, a band pass filter (not shown) and a low noise amplifier(LNA) (not shown). The antennae 18 are disposed near or around themobile reader 10. The receivers 14 form a receiver network, and themobile reader 10 works within the physical receiver network (i.e.,within range of the receivers 14). The position (X, Y, Z) of eachreceiver antenna 18 is known; the coordinates of each phase center ofthe one or more antennae 18 of each receiver 14 are predetermined andused as coordinate reference for correlating the coordinate location ofthe mobile reader 10 within the receiver network. Also, the phase centerof the one or more antennae 16 of the mobile reader 10 is used as areference for the coordinates of the mobile reader 10. Although fourreceivers 14 are shown, the principles described herein can be practicedby as few as two receivers 14. Furthermore, a variety of filters,amplifiers or other receiver circuitry may be utilized to receiveelectromagnetic signals.

The central processing unit 12 is in communication with each of thereceivers 14 over communication links 20. Such communication links 20can be wired (e.g., cables) or wireless.

In brief overview, during operation of the mobile reader tracking system2, the mobile reader 10 reads the identifier information (e.g., barcode)from an item, either recorded on a label or embedded into the item, todetermine the identification (ID) of the identifier and optionally,other relevant data. After recording the identifier information and/orrelevant data, the mobile reader 10 sends an electromagnetic signal tothe tracking system 2. The electromagnetic signal carries the identifierinformation and relevant data, if any, of the item. Each of thereceivers 14 in range of the mobile reader 10 receives theelectromagnetic signal and sends the electromagnetic signal (possiblyfiltered and amplified) to the central processing unit 12. The centralprocessing unit 12 records the identifier information and relevant data(if any) and determines the two- or three-dimensional location of themobile reader 10.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the mobile reader 10 including an infraredcamera 30, a processor 32, and a transmitter 34 coupled to the antenna16. The infrared camera 30 is configured to capture an image of theidentifier information 36 from an item. The processor 30 is configuredto read and record the identifier information 36 captured by the camera30 and to activate the transmitter 34. The transmitter 34 is configuredto send the identifier information and relevant signal timing data bythe transmitter antenna 16.

The mobile reader 10 may capture a variety of data associated with anitem. Examples of other relevant data that may be read include productidentifier (including, but not limited to, a barcode), spoilageinformation, temperature, functional description or any otherinformation that the mobile reader 10 may capture, derive or decode. Asan example, the mobile reader 10 can capture a picture of the item foridentification purposes, and that image data would be sent by the mobilereader 10 with signals enabling position determination and/or tracking.Alternatively, or in addition, the user can manually input dataassociated with an item, and when the user sends this information to thecentral processing unit 12, the location of the mobile reader 10 isdetermined at the tracking system and that location is associated withthe entered data.

In an alternate embodiment, the mobile reader 10 may capture informationassociated with a location rather than an item. For example, the mobilereader 10 may have a sensor to measure temperature; each time atemperature measurement is taken the mobile reader 10 transmits an RFsignal containing the captured data to the tracking system 2 along withRF signals adequate to determine the position of the mobile reader 10(described in connection with FIG. 3). The central processing unit 12 inthe tracking system 2 records the data and location where the data wascaptured. In this manner, for example, a robot or drone can move througha facility and capture information (temperature, humidity, light orother data) that can be associated with locations throughout a facility.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the tracking system 2 including the fourRF receivers 14-1, 14-2, 14-3, and 14-4 and their receiver antennae 18,three time difference of arrival circuits (TDOA) 40-1, 40-2, 40-3(generally, TDOA or comparator circuit 40), the central processing unit12 for recording item data and reader location data. Also shown, themobile reader 10 reads the item information 36 and sends the relevantdata to the tracking system 2.

In this system 2, the mobile reader 10 records ID, relevant data or bothfrom a barcode label, for example, placed on a piece of inventory. As orafter reading the barcode label, the mobile reader 10 transmits a radiosignal to the network of receivers 14 (or receiver antennae 18) placedaround a facility, for example, a warehouse, factory, store,supermarket, or mall. As the radio signal from the mobile reader 10arrives at each receiver 14 (or receiver antenna 18), the trackingsystem 2 processes the signal to record the identifier information,relevant data, or both of the item, and uses the radio signaltransmitted by the mobile reader 10 to determine the location of themobile reader 10. The CPU 12 performs the item data recording and thescanner location recovery.

In one embodiment, the location of the signal transmitter 16 located inthe mobile reader 10 is calculated based on the timing differencebetween receipt of the radio signal at each antenna (specifically TDOA).An example of a method for tracking an RF transmitter using phasedifferences at multiple receivers in order to identify the position ofthe transmitter is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,749,433, granted Jun.10, 2014, titled “Multiplexing Receiver System”, the entirety of whichis incorporated by reference herein. Other techniques for tracking thesignal transmitter 16 in mobile reader 10 may be utilized.

More specifically, each receiver 14 may receive the same signal, but thephase difference between each signal represents the distance the signaltravelled from the transmitter to the known position of the antennas.This allows a distance calculation from each receiver 14 to thetransmitter 16 and with four antennae 18 permits position locating andtracking (because the location of each antenna in receiver 14 is known).FSK, BPSK, QPSK or any other modulation scheme that provides phaseinformation can be utilized.

In one embodiment, the item (or location) identifier and/or data may betransmitted upon activation of the mobile reader 10 collecting data.Further, to conserve battery power in the mobile reader 10, the RFsignal may be transmitted over a short period of time or intermittently.If battery power is not a concern, the RF transmitter 16 in the mobilereader 10 may continuously transmit RF signals to permit continuoustracking of the mobile reader 10, with storage of that track possible inconjunction with storage of captured data.

In one embodiment, a stock person may scan product with the mobilereader 10 as the person places the product on a shelf. The act ofscanning the product barcode, for example, can cause storage of theproduct identity and location by the central processing unit 12. Anasset manager, customer, or other party, can then know exactly where theproduct was placed as the identifying information and location of theproduct are communicated to them from the central processing unit 12.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the tracking system 2′ configured fortwo-way communication between the mobile reader 10 and the network ofreceivers 14. In this embodiment, the mobile reader 10 includes areceiver 50, the network of receivers 14 includes at least onetransmitter 52, and the central processing unit 12 includes memory forstoring a database (DB) 54. Although shown separate from the receivers14, the at least one transmitter 52 can be implemented with one or moreof the receivers 14. With the mobile device 10 and the receiver networkassociated with the central processing unit being capable oftransmitting and receiving RF signals, bidirectional communication ispossible.

In this embodiment, the central processing unit 12 can use the database54 to correlate data and locations. The database 54 may be createdbefore any use of the mobile reader 10 by populating, for example,product identification data with associated physical locations. Forexample, a person could identify various locations in a warehouse, andthen associate items or products that are to be stored at thoselocations in the warehouse. Barcode data identifying a product can bepaired with an expected location for various products. Alternatively,the database 54 can be populated in part or in whole by using the mobilereader 10 to read item or product data. The central processing unit 12can store the item identifier information and tracked location in thedatabase 54, and identify the stored product item identifier informationand location as the “standard” or correct location for the product. Inthis embodiment, the database 54 is populated in a “learn mode”.

After the database 54 contains the identifier information and locationexpected for the items or products, the central processing unit 12 cancompare later captured item (or location data) and identified positionwith the expected data and location for that item stored in the centralprocessing unit 12. For example, when a stockperson scans a productbarcode, the central processing unit 12 can also determine the locationof the mobile reader 10, as described above, thereby determining productidentification and location. The central processing unit 12 can thencompare the actual stocking location to a stored stocking location inthe database 54 (i.e., do the product identifier and location obtainedfrom the scan match the expected location for that product as stored incentral processing unit 12?).

In such a system, the transmitter 52 can provide information about thematch back to the mobile reader 10 through the receiver 50 of the mobilereader 10. For example, after the central processing unit 12 comparesthe captured data and location to the stored data and location, a signalmay be sent from the central processing unit 12 through the transmitter52 to the receiver 50 in the mobile reader 10 to inform the stockperson(or other individual) by cue (visual, auditory, or both) that theproduct has been correctly stocked or had been misplaced.

Upon matching the product identifier location and tracked location withthe stored expected location and identifier, an acknowledgment signalcan be transmitted by the tracking system 2 to the mobile reader 10.Alternatively, if either the captured product data or location do notmatch the stored location for that item, the tracking system 2 can senda signal to the mobile reader 10 indicating a problem or prohibitingfurther data capture.

Further, if the central processing unit 12 has stored the expectedlocation for the scanned item, the correct location for the identifieditem may be transmitted to the mobile reader 10. As an example, astockperson trying to stock an item in the wrong location, or finding anitem misplaced, may scan the item causing the item identification dataand location to be sent to the central processing unit 12. The centralprocessing unit 12 can determine that the captured item data andlocation do not match the stored item identification and location. Ifthe central processing unit 12 has stored the correct location of themisplaced item stored, the tracking system 2 can direct the stockpersonto the proper stocking location.

The identifier information, relevant data, and position locationinformation stored by the central processing unit 12 may be stored invarious types of memory devices (including but not limited to, DRAM,SRAM, hard drive or other electronic data storage devices). Further,when referring to the central processing unit 12 accessing informationstored “in” the central processing unit 12, the information may bephysically stored in the central processing unit 12 or may be stored inanother physical location and sent to the central processing unit (i.e.,a separate memory device, server or the cloud) within the scope of thisinvention.

Optionally, the RF signal from the mobile reader 10 containing thecaptured data (and the location, if desired) may be transmittedrepeatedly until an acknowledgement is received by the mobile reader 10from the central processing unit 12, at which point the mobile reader 10may stop transmitting to preserve power. Similarly, the mobile reader 10may stop transmitting RF signals that permit position tracking if noreading or scanning is performed for a predetermined amount of time.

In another embodiment, a user playing a game can find an item or objectand capture identifying data from it. If the location of the objectmatches the predicted location for that object stored in the centralprocessing unit 12, the game can reward the player with, for example,points, information. Further, other users may be allowed to see thelocation of the found item and thereby track the item and the playerthat found the item.

In another embodiment, a user can identify an item presenting an issue,problem, or opportunity. The user can identify a tag on the object,place a tag on an item and scan the tag (or input tag information intothe mobile reader 10 manually), or take a photograph of the item. Othermethods may be used to input identification data into the mobile reader10.

In one embodiment, a homeowner can walk through a house with a mobilereader, intending to create a checklist of things that need repair. Thehomeowner may find, for example, a power outlet that is nonfunctional.The homeowner can take a photograph of the faulty outlet with the mobiletransmitter 34 (FIG. 2). The image data and location of the mobilereader 10, as indicated at image capture, are communicated through thenetwork of receivers 14 and stored at the central processing unit 12, asdescribed above.

Alternatively, instead of capturing an image, the user can put anidentifier tag on the faulty outlet and scan a tag (for example, abarcode). In another embodiment, the homeowner can physically input(through a keyboard, touchscreen, or the like) identifying data (i.e.,indication that a repair needs to be made) using the data entry on themobile reader 10. In these examples, the image or tag may be considereda “virtual sticky” placed on the virtual location of the power outlet inthe memory associated with the central processing unit 12. The data(i.e., “an issue is here”) and the location of the data are thustransmitted and stored at the central processing unit 12.

When the builder or repair person walks into the house with access tothe data (image and location) stored in the central processing unit 12,they can identify the location of the faulty outlet based on the datastored in the central processing unit 12. In one embodiment, afterrepairing the issue, the repair person may take a photograph of thefaulty outlet and the image data and location of the mobile reader 10 iscommunicated to the central processing unit 12. This update may causeremoval of the faulty outlet as needing repair in the central processingunit 12—thus, removing the virtual sticky. Similar to that describedabove, the virtual sticky may be removed by physical input of data tothe mobile reader 10 and sending data and position location to thecentral processing unit 12.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a type of cellular system 60 for trackingitems across a larger geographic region 64. The cellular system 60comprises a plurality of mobile reader position tracking systems 2-1,2-2, . . . 2-n (generally, tracking system 2), as shown and described inconnection with FIG. 3. Each tracking system 2 covers one cell 62 of thecellular system 60. Neighboring cells are physically located adjacent toeach other. Each cell has a central processing unit 12, TDOA circuits40, and a network of receivers 14 (and antennae) that track an RFtransmitter if the mobile reader is located and moves through theantenna area of coverage. Such a system 60 can hand off the transmitteras the mobile reader 10 passes from one area of coverage (or cell) tothe next.

In one embodiment, a central processing unit 12 of one of the cells 62is a master processor and the other central processing units 12 of theother cells 62 are slave processors. The master processor may trackitems thru cells. Although three cells 62 are shown, the area ofcoverage may be extended by adding additional cells 62. Further, themaster processor may not be a central processing unit that tracks atransmitter directly, but may receive captured data and positioninformation from multiple central processing units to track multipleobjects, items, and data in the regions of coverage.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method, and computer programproduct. Thus, aspects of the present invention may be embodied entirelyin hardware, entirely in software (including, but not limited to,firmware, program code, resident software, microcode), or in acombination of hardware and software. Such embodiments may generally bereferred to herein as a circuit, a module, or a system. In addition,aspects of the present invention may be in the form of a computerprogram product embodied in one or more computer readable media havingcomputer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readablemedium may be a non-transitory computer readable storage medium,examples of which include, but are not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof.

As used herein, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangiblemedium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connectionwith an instruction execution system, apparatus, device, computer,computing system, computer system, or any programmable machine or devicethat inputs, processes, and outputs instructions, commands, or data. Anon-exhaustive list of specific examples of a computer readable storagemedium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, aportable computer diskette, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a random accessmemory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a USB flash drive, annon-volatile RAM (NVRAM or NOVRAM), an erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM or Flash memory), a flash memory card, an electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), an optical fiber, aportable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a DVD-ROM, an opticalstorage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combinationthereof.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. As used herein, acomputer readable storage medium is not a computer readable propagatingsignal medium or a propagated signal.

Program code may be embodied as computer-readable instructions stored onor in a computer readable storage medium as, for example, source code,object code, interpretive code, executable code, or combinationsthereof. Any standard or proprietary, programming or interpretivelanguage can be used to produce the computer-executable instructions.Examples of such languages include C, C++, Pascal, JAVA, BASIC,Smalltalk, Visual Basic, and Visual C++.

Transmission of program code embodied on a computer readable medium canoccur using any appropriate medium including, but not limited to,wireless, wired, optical fiber cable, microwave or radio frequency (RF),or any suitable combination thereof.

The program code may execute entirely on a user's device, partly on theuser's device, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'sdevice and partly on a remote computer or entirely on a remote computeror server. Any such remote computer may be connected to the user'sdevice through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN)or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider).

Additionally, methods of this invention can be implemented on a specialpurpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller andperipheral integrated circuit element(s), an ASIC or other integratedcircuit, a digital signal processor, a hard-wired electronic or logiccircuit such as discrete element circuit, a programmable logic devicesuch as PLD, PLA, FPGA, PAL, or the like. In general, any device capableof implementing a state machine that is in turn capable of implementingthe proposed methods herein can be used to implement the principles ofthis invention.

Furthermore, the disclosed methods may be readily implemented insoftware using object or object-oriented software developmentenvironments that provide portable source code that can be used on avariety of computer or workstation platforms. Alternatively, thedisclosed system may be implemented partially or fully in hardware usingstandard logic circuits or a VLSI design. Whether software or hardwareis used to implement the systems in accordance with this invention isdependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirements of the system, theparticular function, and the particular software or hardware systems ormicroprocessor or microcomputer systems being utilized.

While the aforementioned principles have been described in conjunctionwith a number of embodiments, it is evident that many alternatives,modifications and variations would be or are apparent to those ofordinary skill in the applicable arts. Accordingly, it is intended toembrace all such alternatives, modifications, equivalents, andvariations that are within the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tracking system comprising: a mobile devicethat obtains data at a physical location and wirelessly transmits theobtained data from that physical location in a radio frequency (RF)signal; at least two receiver antennae that receive the RF signaltransmitted by the mobile device; and a central processing unitconfigured to acquire a timing difference measured from when the RFsignal is received by one of the at least two receiver antennae and theRF signal is received by another of the at least two receiver antennaeand to calculate the physical location where the mobile device obtainedthe data from the acquired timing difference.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the mobile device comprises an optical sensor for obtaining thedata from an item through image capture.
 3. The system of claim 1,further comprising an article worn by a user; and wherein the mobiledevice is attached to the worn article.
 4. The system of claim 3,wherein the article worn by a user is a glove type device.
 5. The systemof claim 3, wherein the article worn by a user is augmented reality (AR)glasses.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is ahandheld device.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile devicecomprises a sensor configured to measure an environmental condition; andthe obtained data is the measured environmental condition.
 8. The systemof claim 7, wherein the sensor measures one of temperature, humidity,chemicals, or gas.
 9. The system of claim 1, further comprising acomparator circuit configured to determine the timing difference betweenthe RF signal received by one of the at least two receiver antennae andthe RF signal received by another of the at least two receiver antennae,and to pass the timing difference to the central processing unit. 10.The system of claim 1, wherein the central processing unit is configuredto calculate the physical location of the mobile device continuouslywhile the mobile device is moving, thereby tracking movement of themobile device.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the central processingunit is configured to associate the data obtained by the mobile devicewith the calculated physical location.
 12. The system of claim 1,wherein the mobile device includes a receiver and wirelessly transmitsthe obtained data continuously to the at least two receiver antennaeuntil the receiver of the mobile device receives an acknowledgmentsignal.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the central processing unitis configured to cause the acknowledgement signal to be sent to themobile device in response to the data in the RF signal received by theat least two receiver antennae.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein themobile device provides feedback to a user of the mobile device uponreceiving the acknowledgment signal.
 15. The system of claim 13, whereinthe central processing unit compares the obtained data to an expecteddata value and, in response to the comparison, transmits feedback to themobile device.
 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the centralprocessing unit compares the obtained data and the calculated physicallocation at which the mobile device obtained the data to an expectedlocation for the obtained data, and, in response to the comparison,transmits feedback to the mobile device.
 17. The system of claim 1,wherein the central processing unit includes memory storing dataassociated with physical locations in an area covered by the at leasttwo receiver antennae, and, in response to receiving the obtained dataand to calculating the physical location at which the mobile deviceobtained the data, compares the obtained data with the stored dataassociated with physical locations.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein,if the data obtained by the mobile device and the calculated physicallocation of the obtained data do not match the stored data andassociated physical location, information is transmitted to the mobiledevice.